I've retired from 26 years working with "suits" and sales. Now I'm following my creative passion of designing soft home furnishings. I have a professional drapery workroom and also my online stores. For Canadians at iCraft.ca/pillowthrowdecor.com
and for US and International buyers at PillowThrowDecor.Etsy.com I have a very eclectic collection with 3 more distinctive pillow lines: "Luxe and Found", Pocket Pillows and an embroidered line. Did I mention I have a line of DIY designer pillow kits comming soon too?
I run my business with "Big ECO ATTITUDE"! It benefits my customers with lower prices and a greener earth.
Follow my blog for trends, colours, how-tos and top best picks and deals. Gift giveaways coming soon too!

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Friday, March 27, 2009

I can't help but giggle every time I peek at this cheeky red pillow. Before it morphed into a pillow, this upcycled skirt traveled to many business meetings, chased airplanes and was my secret weapon for closing deals. It was my million dollar power skirt!

Whenever my 3 year old grandson sees it, he hugs it, rubs his cheek on it and says, "It feels so yummy, Gramma". My daughter keeps hinting how COOL it would look in her living room except my 12 year old grand daughter says how HOT it would look on her bed. My husband just looks at it, shakes his head and says..." I think it was cool when it was a skirt 'cause it made you look so hot". Too funny!

This pillow was a labour of love but well worth it because it is a piece art with a really interesting story that gets even better! There is a zipper in the back that has a secret compartment between the leather and lining that you can stash jewels, bonds, illicit love letters... all kinds of stuff. Nancy Drew would snap this up in a minute. LOL

The leather is in almost new condition. It was carefully dismantled, sanitized, conditioned and then fully lined. It was professionally sewn on my industrial walking foot machine so you can be rest assured everything is well secured and will last for years to come. If you like it, buy it now, because there will NEVER be another like it! .... ps. ask me about the eco fill luxury fiber fill.Shhhh... Here's the secret hidey hole for all your loot!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Only one like it in the whole world! Very chic, modern and eco smart with new designer "For the Trade Only" fabrics from Maxwell's ($67 CAN per yard)and upcycled NEW vintage belts arranged and handsewn for a very hot customed design look. It's just been listed so check it out in my online Etsy store to see the really cool details like the"pillow stud earrings".

What's with the NEW VINTAGE BELTS??? I had the very good fortune of falling into a case of brand new belts from an upscale ladies clothing store that closed about 21 years ago. The price tags were still on them ranging from $40 to $50 which was a lot of money back then. What a PRICELESS FIND!

It was hard to put a current value on them but as she is regular drapery client of mine lets say we made a very fair trade. I'm dying to get into the rest of her clothing inventory... tons of VINTAGE GLAM... she doesn't know it yet but her whole house is going to get redraped!!!

Besides new vintage belts, I use unique collectible belts too. These few pillows are just a small sampling of what's coming in this awesome LUXE and FOUND COLLECTION. So keep watching for more here and remember these are originals, never to be duplicated, so if you like it BUY IT NOW!!!

In the spirit of BIG ECO CHIC ATTITUDE here's the first 2 pillows in the new LUXE AND FOUND line that I am adding to my "Eclections". They are made with fabulous designer fabrics from some of the top design houses hence the name "Luxe" and parts will be upcycled from some discovered or "Found" treasures. As my kids were growing up they knew not to leave things lying around lest it get hauled off to my hobby room and morphed into something for the Christmas tree or sewn to the curtains.

These pillows are labour intensive but so fun to make. Leather skirts, belts and electrical wiring are just a few of the items that you'll see transformed in this collection so keep an eye open here... there will be cool new stuff daily. I have another 10 TWEEN pillows coming once they've passed inspection by my design diva (12 year old granddaughter).

Wait until you see tomorrows additions!!! Lots of pink, brown, black, gold. If you have a tween at home I would greatly appreciate any feedback. See ya!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

It's now officially BBQ season in Vancouver Canada! Yahoo! Sunday was a first for us. The weather held long enough to roll out the awning, arrange table, chairs, and lounge on the new cushioned chaises.

You just can't beat outdoor living. Right now every home decor magazine writes about extending your living area onto your patio. There are a lot of new fabrics by Sunbrella and "Performance Fabrics" from one of my favourite design houses... Maxwell's in Vancouver.

I made the featured pillow of "Gathering" from the Home and Garden pattern book. It's composition is 60% Acrylic and 40% Polyester, and is mildew and fade resistant. You can't beat the heavy, durable fabric that looks chic and feels smooth against the skin not like some outdoor fabrics that are stiff and scratchy.

The fabric retails $115.80 per yard CAD. At $39 per pillow its a good buy. There's limited stock of these so jump in now and order yours. PillowThrowDecor@etsy.com look under the "green section".

Monday, March 16, 2009

One of the greatest appeals in buying" handmade" is that FOR EVERY ITEM THERE'S ALWAYS A STORY, some are taller, some are smaller and then there's mine......

...Once upon a time,long,long ago, there was a beautiful young seamstress who labored day and night, always at the whim of her two spinster, sisters.

It was the night before the prince’s coronation ball that the spinster sisters came for their final fitting. Their skirts swished with beads and braids, and bodices sparkled with jeweled buttons. As the old wives tale foretold, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”… it was true, the two older sisters looked like gilded hams. Screaming in disgust they ripped the tulle from their skirts and the bows from their bustles.

All through the night, the young seamstress picked and patched, and added to every seam and dart, all the while weeping without sound. Working by candlelight, with needle and thread she collapsed at her table in exhaustion. Even in sleep, tears continued to melt from her lashes. The wetness pooled, and then spilled to the floor like falling beads from a broken necklace.

It was that sound of bouncing beads that caused the commotion from within the sewing basket. It’s lid lifted slightly. Then out poked little arms and itsy, bitsy, slippered feet until the lid flew fully open. A darning needle clinked repeatedly against a metal thimble like a trumpeter’s call to action. From the hollows of the thread cones climbed fairies, like toy children, yawning, rubbing eyes and stretching wrinkled wings. The fairies were like toy children.

A little green boy suddenly took flight and scooped from the floor, the most magnificent, the most breathe-takingly beautiful teardrop pearl. All was hushed while he closely examined its size, shape and luster. He shouted out in a loud, little voice, his devine pronouncement, “She’s the one! No creature of land or sea can produce a more perfect pearl.” They move

A happy dance and a fairy chant honored their princess while she continued to sleep deeply. Like hummingbirds, the fairies dipped and darted through a storm of lace stitching and weaving,tucking and pulling. For final good measure, the little green boy lifted the silver thimble and from high above the sewing table tipped its contents out. The fairies with their lacy wings fanned the glittering dust to every fibber and every fold.

It was the magic of the drifting fairy dust that tickled the young lady’s face. Her awakening was slow as her eyes were disbelieving. She didn’t see the two beautifully finished gowns hanging from the rack. Nor did she hear the piccolo flutes. Her only focus was the view just inches from the end of her nose. On the table before her was a circle of fairies, singing and dancing hand in hand, round and round.

The object of their attention lay in the center of their fairy ring, catching the luminescence of a dawning sunrise. There rested a silken pillow, describable only with heavenly words. The young girl dared reach out, fingers feather- lightly touching the mass of tiny, tiny, stitches embroidered as scenic toile … a story of love, life and laughter. Amidst these satin vignettes were sprays of teardrop pearls and bouquets of precious gemstones each laced to the fabric with threads of silver and gold.

That evening, all the gowned and garnished guests greeted the prince with proper pomp and ceremony. The two spinster sisters, all poured and pressed into their new gowns, gushed and blathered before the handsome young prince hoping to win his smile. It was almost midnight when the young prince, now a crowned king, opened the last of his inaugural gifts. About to retire from the banquet hall, he halted at the sight of the young seamstress standing shyly in the entrance doorway. The guests gasped, not in shame of her dress, but in awe of the ethereal beauty of the magnificently regal pillow she placed at the king’s feet. Transfixed by her beauty, he reached to lift her up. A tear of happiness slipped from her cheek and fell to the floor as a pearl. He knew then that she was the fairies’ princess as foretold by the old wives.

The very next day, the beautiful young seamstress and the handsome young king were married and lived happily ever after. She was lovingly remembered as the “Pillow Queen” as she continued to make her magnificent regal pillows, as did her daughter, and her daughter's daughter.

.. My mom told me this story when she gave me this old sewing basket, just like Gramma told her, and so on and so on.

I have such a PASSION for pillows! My Etsy friends call me the Queen of Pillows but I'm not sure if has anything to do with fairies. Sometimes I think I see itsy bitsy foot prints in the velvet nap. I find spools of thread in places I haven't put them.... And there's something going on in the basket but I'll save that for another story.